| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 20,553 (born in Poland) [1] | |
| Languages | |
| Polish language · English language · Icelandic language | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism |
Poles make up the largest group of immigrants in Iceland. On 1 January 2021, Statistics Iceland recorded 20,553 Polish-born people living in Iceland. [1] Although small compared to the size of migrant groups in other countries, that makes them the biggest minority ethnic group in Iceland. [2]
There have been several different migratory movements of Poles to Iceland. The first major migration occurred at the turn of the 19th century after Poland lost its statehood. However, for much of the Cold War period, most of the Polish population was restricted in their ability to travel outside of communist Poland at all. [2]
More recently in 2004, an influx occurred after Poland joined the European Union, thereby easing restrictions on Polish citizens' eligibility to work in other European Economic Area states. In 2006, Iceland's construction industry boomed and Polish workers were increasingly hired to fulfill work demands. Within a year, the number of Polish migrants in the country increased by 81%. Poland also joined Iceland in the Schengen Zone in 2007. [2] As a result, Poles do not need work or resident permits to live and work in Iceland. [3] The global financial crisis of 2008 decreased the levels of migration drastically and more Poles repatriated than arrived in Iceland during this year. [2]
The demographic is largely endogamous and insular. Poles in Iceland typically speak Polish, watch Polish television, continue to practice Catholicism and have opened Polish restaurants. [3]
The Icelandic public broadcaster RÚV maintains a news web page and podcast in Polish. [4] The page was started in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. [5]
A study conducted in 2012 suggested that most Polish Icelanders used the English language more often than Icelandic in their daily lives, found English more useful and often learned it before learning Icelandic. [2]
Poles living in Iceland can cast their vote in Polish elections. During the Polish presidential election in 2020 roughly 80% of Poles in Iceland voted for Rafał Trzaskowski (candidate of the Civic Platform) while only 20% voted for Andrzej Duda (candidate of the Law and Justice party). This contrasts with Poland where Andrzej Duda won the majority. [6]
The demography of Germany is monitored by the Statistisches Bundesamt. According to the most recent data, Germany's population is 84,607,016 making it the most populous country in the European Union and the nineteenth-most populous country in the world. The total fertility rate was rated at 1.58 in 2021, significantly below the replacement rate of 2.1. For a long time Germany had one of the world's lowest fertility rates of around 1.3 to 1.4, however there has been a small increase in recent years. Due to the low birth rate Germany has recorded more deaths than births every year since 1972, which means 2021 was the 50th consecutive year the German population would have decreased without immigration. However, due to immigration the population has actually increased during the last half-century. In 2019 the number of people with a foreign background was 26%; this category includes foreigners, naturalized citizens, ethnic German repatriates from Eastern Europe and the children of all of the above.
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative voivodeship provinces, covering an area of 312,696 km2 (120,733 sq mi). Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous member state of the European Union. Warsaw is the nation's capital and largest metropolis. Other major cities include Kraków, Wrocław, Łódź, Poznań, and Gdańsk.
Demographic features of the population of the Netherlands include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the population, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The demographics of Iceland include population density, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Polish people, or Poles, are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Central Europe. The preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland defines the Polish nation as comprising all the citizens of Poland, regardless of heritage or ethnicity. The majority of Poles adhere to Roman Catholicism.
According to the 2021 Romanian census, 2,137 Poles live in Romania, mainly in the villages of Suceava County. There are three exclusively Polish villages, as follows: Nowy Sołoniec, Plesza (Pleșa), and Pojana Mikuli, as well a significant Polish presence in Kaczyca (Cacica) and Paltynosa (Păltinoasa). There is also a relatively sizable number of ethnic Poles living in the county seat, Suceava.
The Polish diaspora comprises Poles and people of Polish heritage or origin who live outside Poland. The Polish diaspora is also known in modern Polish as Polonia, the name for Poland in Latin and many Romance languages.
Beata Maria Szydło is a Polish politician who has served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2019. A member of Law and Justice (PiS), she previously served as Prime Minister of Poland from 2015 to 2017. Szydło became the third woman to hold the office, after Hanna Suchocka and her immediate predecessor Ewa Kopacz. She currently is a vice-chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament.
Ukrainians in Poland have various legal statuses: ethnic minority, temporary and permanent residents, and refugees. According to the Polish census of 2011, the Ukrainian minority in Poland was composed of approximately 51,000 people. Some 38,000 respondents named Ukrainian as their first identity, 13,000 as their second identity, and 21,000 declared Ukrainian identity jointly with Polish nationality. However, these numbers have changed since the mid-2010s, with a large influx of economic immigrants and students from Ukraine to Poland, with some estimating their total number at 2 million people. Their status has been regulated according to the Polish and European Union (EU) policies of temporary work permits, temporary residence permits and permanent residence permits. The number of Ukrainians in Poland rose dramatically following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. By 16 August 2022, more than 11.2 million Ukrainian refugees left the territory of Ukraine, of which more than 5.4 million people fled to neighbouring Poland.
Immigration to Europe has a long history, but increased substantially after World War II. Western European countries, especially, saw high growth in immigration post 1945, and many European nations today have sizeable immigrant populations, both of European and non-European origin. In contemporary globalization, migrations to Europe have accelerated in speed and scale. Over the last decades, there has been an increase in negative attitudes towards immigration, and many studies have emphasized marked differences in the strength of anti-immigrant attitudes among European countries.
The Polish minority in Ireland numbered 93,680, plus 17,152 people with dual Polish and Irish citizenship, according to 2022 census figures.
Canada–Poland relations are foreign relations between Canada and Poland. Both countries are full members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the World Trade Organization.
Relations between the People's Republic of China and Poland officially began on October 5, 1949.
The demographics of Poland constitute all demographic features of the population of Poland including population density, ethnicity, education level, the health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population.
Since the fall of communism in 1989, the nature of migration to and from Poland has been in flux. After Poland's accession to the European Union and accession to the Schengen Area in particular, a significant number of Poles, estimated at over two million, have emigrated, primarily to the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Ireland. The majority of them, according to the Central Statistical Office of Poland, left in search of better work opportunities abroad while retaining permanent resident status in Poland itself.
Andrzej Sebastian Duda is a lawyer and politician who has served as President of Poland since 6 August 2015. Before becoming president, Andrzej Duda served as a member of the Polish Lower House (Sejm) from 2011 to 2014 and the European Parliament from 2014 to 2015.
The Civic Coalition is a catch-all political alliance currently ruling in Poland. The alliance was formed around Civic Platform in opposition to the then-ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party.
Islamophobia in Poland is the fear, hatred of, or prejudice against the Islamic religion or Muslims in Poland. Since the Muslim community in Poland is small the situation has been described as "Islamophobia without Muslims". According to Monika Bobako, Islamophobia is one of the main elements of the Polish nationalist discourse. Islamophobia in Poland takes the form of racism and xenophobia towards Muslims or those perceived as Muslim.
Presidential elections will be held in Poland by 18 May 2025, though they can be held earlier should the office become vacated as a result of death, resignation or removal from office of the incumbent. Due to constitutional term limits allowing a president to serve only two terms, incumbent president Andrzej Duda is ineligible for re-election. Presidential elections in Poland must take place on a free day between 75 and 100 days before the term's end.
Events in the year 2023 in Poland.
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